ebook generator

Update: The review of the product above is an old one. I am leaving the long version below for posterity. I can't recommend this product AT ALL. It is just plain awful & customer service was a joke. This is the old way of doing things anyway.

If you are going to make an eBook these days make a PDF. That way it works on all kinds of computers. Don't make an EXE that only works on PCs just because you want to protect your software.

If you are going to make an eCover for an eBook, virtual CD, DVD or software box, I recommend >THIS< however it needs Photoshop to work since it is a set of macro/templates that you load inside Photoshop 7, CS, CS2 or CS3. Photoshop Elements will NOT work. You can look for a copy of Photoshop on eBay or get one at PHOTOSHOP. Of course you can do so much more than eCovers with Photoshop. Pretty much ANY kind of graphics done for websites is done in Photoshop. It is a skill worth developing.

There are other stand alone eCover generators like the one in this review, however, NONE of them have the flexibility of using Photoshop. Further the resolution is only good enough for SMALL eBook Covers. If you make your ecovers big then you are fighting the jaggies & they look like crap! That is just the truth.

I know this method costs a LOT more money. Yes I know. I didn't want to do it either. But after several attempts at lame eCover software programs & after hiring someone to do one that NEVER produced the results, I realized it was time to get a good eCover program & just be done. Remember it will cost you at LEAST $40 & usually more like $100 to get someone else to do a SINGLE cover for you. Over time you will save money.

If you've been thinking about how to market an ebook online you have probably run across Armand Morin's eBook Generator & eCover Generator. You may have wondered does this product live up to the expectations you may have?

"C'mon Rex, Everybody on the internet is an affiliate selling Armand's products.

Listen, I know that. He has a boatload of testimonials too. I don't know what to tell you. Let me tell you MY story.

Back in February of 2005 I bought the ebookgenerator against my better judgment. WHAT? What do you mean? Well first of all go to the site www.ebookgenerator.com. Now just TRY to buy the product there. C'mon I DARE you. It can't be done! (Squeeze Page to farm your email.) You HAVE to send off & get the video even if you are already convinced that you want it. FURTHER if you just want to read about the damn thing, you CAN'T. You have to send off & get the video. Oh yes, you have to give 'em name & email to receive it! OK so that is my first gripe. I never saw a marketer make a customer work so hard to buy a product in all my life. (Update...of course this is common place now)

The download went smoothly. Got my confirmation emails etc. Try to run the product & BLAM first thing. It blows up. Icons go smashing across the tool bar at the top. About 46 contacts with customer support (I am only exaggerating slightly) & 3 months later what do I have? NUTHIN'. It is STILL broke. Have I asked for my money back? Nope. I was told they would fix these things a MONTH ago & after all I DO want the product right or I wouldn't have bought it? It has a TON of potential.

Anyway, customer support says they can't reproduce the problem. In an effort to prove that it wasn't my machine I have now installed it on multiple machines. I can't find a machine it works on. Hmmmm.

A LOT of strange stuff going on here. Check out this link. (Update..none of these links are functional anymore.)

http://www.netcustomerservice.com/esupport/index.php Notice how the #1 "Popular Knowledgebase Topic" is "How do I get the latest version of eBook Generator. Hmmmmm. Now click on the DOWNLOADS button & you get to here...

http://www.netcustomerservice.com/esupport/index.php?_a=downloads That takes you to the downloads of the tutorial of the eBook Generator & the eCover Generator. Neither of these links work & haven't since February even though I told them repeatedly that they didn't work. Customer support blamed this on a server transition or something. I think in 3 months I could fix a link that was broke if I knew about it. Hell, I could learn HTML, put up a web site & THEN fix the link in 3 MONTHS! Calm down Rex, don't blow a gasket...OK I'm better now.

While I found customer support to be friendly, I hated needing them for EVERY step of the way. I also bought eCover Generator at the same time (back end product) to get a group price. The picture of the eBook Generator at the top of the page is created with eCover Generator I presume. It gave me some problems too so I wanted the tutorials for BOTH of these products. When the downloads didn't work they emailed them to me ...no problem. OK so why is it so hard to put them on the link like they are SUPPOSED to be?

Anyway when I get the tutorial, I see it doesn't even match the software that I have! Another contact to customer support to find out that I have the OLD version. Shame on ME for downloading the old one! I clicked a button & the file came down. How HARD IS THAT? OK I guess I did it wrong. They sent me the new eCover Generator & HEY you know what? It works pretty good. I like it! I did have some suggestions for them on that one too though. I didn't appreciate that I could design a cover finish it & then couldn't EDIT IT! If I made the cover & later I saw something wrong, say just a word misspelled that I needed to fix, I couldn't edit the old one...I had to START OVER! WOW. That is because by the time you get it done it becomes a picture & the OBJECTS that create it are long gone.

Honestly, eCover Generator II is *OK*. You just have to get it right the FIRST TIME!

Now who am I to tell Armand Morin about marketing? Nobody. Flat out he is a power on the internet. I am told he is a really nice fellow & sharp as a tack too. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him yet. In fact I know I would have a lot to learn from him. So don't get me wrong. My gripe is with the PRODUCTS that I purchased from him & the dog tricks I had to perform to purchase them not with Armand. To be even more specific, many of my gripes had to do with the web site, broken links & improper downloads not just the software bugs.

So in conclusion: I can not recommend the eBook Generator at all. The eCover Generator is OK IF they download you the right one. You can see from the eCovers at the top of the page it makes nice ones. But, for me the process was just too painful to recommend. I found my blood pressure climbing just typing this all in & recalling the gigantic mess it was to get these two products, one of which I NEVER got to use.

Armand Morin's "eBook & eCover Generator "

Armand Morin is well known on the internet. He sells TONS of software products. Do they measure up?

"eBook & eCover Generator"